Feeding device for can end testing machine



Dec. 11, 1956 B. L. HOYNE FEEDING DEVICE FOR CAN END TESTING MACHINE 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001;. l, 1952.

INVEN TOR.

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FEEDING DEVICE FOR CAN END TESTING MACHINE Filed Oct 1, 1952 2Sheets-Sheet 2 lllllllnk E *Za 5% ifzo Z/ d @E H01) on INVENTOR.

BE/VJ/IM/A/ L. #0 YN givm/ E 971 6 W QMQuZZ/E A TTOENEYS United StatesPatent 2,773,380 FEEDING DEVICE FOR CAN END TESTING MACHINE Benjamin L.Hoyne, Jersey City, N. 3-, assignor to American Can Company, New York,N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 1, 1952, SerialNo. 312,545 11 Claims. (Cl. 73--45.2)

The present invention relates to a power operated can end testingmachine for detecting perforations or other imperfections in the wallsof can ends and has particular reference to improved feeding devices forfeeding the can ends from a stack into the testing devices of themachine. This is an improvement on the machine disclosed in UnitedStates Patent 2,330,229 issued September 28, 1943 to W. W. .Maher on CanEnd Testing Machine.

An object of the invention is the provision in a can end testing machineof feeding devices which are simple in character and with as few movingparts as possible so as to provide accurate and efficient feeding withminimum wear and maintenance.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas it is better understood from the following description, which, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferredembodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a can end testing machineembodying the instant invention, parts being broken away and shown insection;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view taken substantially along the broken line 22in Fig. l, with parts shown in section, and parts shown in dot and dashlines;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantiallyalong the broken line 33 in Fig. 2, with parts broken away and withparts shown in different positions in dot and dash lines; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. l with parts omitted.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instant invention thedrawings illustrate principal parts of the can end testing machinedisclosed in the above mentioned Maher Patent 2,330,229. In such amachine sheet metal can ends A are fed individually into a plurality oftester heads B carried on the peripheries of a pair of axially spacedand parallel, mechanically joined, vertically disposed and continuouslyrotated tester wheels C, with the tester heads on one wheel in staggeredand confronting relation to those on the other wheel. The can endsreceived in the tester heads B are subjected preferably to air pressureas disclosed in the Maher patent to test the can ends for perforationsor other imperfections, and are segregated in accordance with theresults of this test.

The can ends A to be tested are fed horizontally from the bottom of astack of such ends contained in a magazine 11 located intermediate thetwo tester wheels C adjacent their outer peripheries. The magazine 11 ismounted on top of a housing 12 which is part of the main frame ofthemachine. The stack of ends in the magazine is inclined slightly fromthe vertical in a direction away from the tester wheels so that thelowermost can end in the stack is tilted, with its edge nearest thewheels slightly higher than its opposite edge. The lower edge of thebottom can end rests on a horizontally disposed stepped support plate 14(Figs,2 and 4) secured to the housing 12 while the higher edge of theend initially rests on a helical thread 15 (Fig. 3) of a continuouslyrotating separator screw 16'of the character shown in the Maher patentabove mentioned and mounted and driven in the same manner.

2,773,380 Patented Dec. 11, 1956 As disclosed in the Maher patent, therotation of the separator screw '16 lowers the higher edge of the bottomcan end in the stack until the end is in a substantially horizontalposition and thus separates this end from the end next above in thestack. The thus lowered edge of the separated can end is supported on astepped support plate 18 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) which is similar to anddisposed opposite the support plate 14. The plate 18 is secured to thehousing 12. These support plates 14, 1'8 are disposed at an elevationimmediately below the bottom open end of the magazine so that theseparated, horizon-tally disposed can end is clear of the magazine. Thecan end is held in this position temporarily by a short horizontallydisposed horseshoe magnet 19 which is located adjacent the support plate14 and rests on a shelf extension 20 of the housing 12. The magnet holdsthe separated can end rigid or steady for feeding (from under themagazine.

As each can end A is individually separated from the stack, it is sweptin a lateral direction trom its horizontal position and precipitatedinto a guided fall to a vertical position in alignment With the testerheads B, one can end being swept toward the right as viewed in Fig. 3for alignment with the tester heads on one wheel and the next can endbeing swept toward the left for alignment with the tester heads on thesecond wheel, the can ends being received at separate transfer stationsD and E. This alternate feeding of the separated can ends in oppositedirections into the two transfer stations D, E is effected by ahorizontally oscil-latable transfer arm 21 (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4) whichis mounted at one end on a vertical shaft 22 carried in the housing 12.The shaft 22 is oscillated in time with the other moving parts of themachine as disclosed in the M31116! patent above mentioned.

The free end of the transfer arm 21 swings in an arc in a substantiallyhorizontal plane transversely of the machine under the magazine 1'1 andcarries a vertically disposed transfer .pin 23 for engagement with theedges of the separated can ends A as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Thetop end of the transfer pin 23 is formed with a substantially flatrectangular shaped head or button 24 which projects beyond the outerface of the pin and provides a ledge or shoulder which engages over theedge of the can end being transferred to control the movement of theend.

During this lateral travel of a can end, it rides off the ends of thesupport plates 14, '18 and onto a pair of spaced and parallel downwardlysloping or declining support tracks (Figs. 2, 3 and 4). There are twopairs of these tracks. These tracks extend in opposite directions forcan ends moving toward the right and toward the left as viewed in Fig.3. The tracks are formed in the housing 12 and extend toward openings 27in the side walls of the housing. Each pair of tracks is spaced apart adistance less than the outside diameter of the can ends so that each canend is supported at two spaced points on its periphery intermediate itsrear or following edge and the middle of the end.

As a can end is propelled along the sloping tracks 26 it is projectedthrough the adjacent opening 27 in the housing side wall and the upperportion of its leading edge engages against and rides along a pair ofvertically disposed spaced and parallel curved guide rails 23 which arein substantial alignment with the support tracks 26 and which arelocated outside of and adjacent the outer face of the housing side wall.There is one set of these guide rails on each side of the machine andthey extend downwardly from the outer regions of the bottom of themagazine 11 to the transfer stations D, E as shown in Fig. 3.

Each pair of these guide rails 28 is carried in a curved 3 guard casing31 which is hingedly attached to the machine so that it may be openedwhen necessary. Normally the guard casing remains closed. In order tofacilitate :opening of the casing 31, it is secured to a horizontallydisposed hinge bar 32 having trunnions 33 which are carried in bearingbrackets 34 secured to the sides of the housing 12. One of the trunnions33 is longer than the other and is surrounded by a tension spring 36having one end secured in the adjacent bearing bracket 34 and the otherend fastened in a collar 37 carried on the trunnion. The spring keepsthe casing normally closed.

Hence as the can end A is swept laterally from the magazine 11 is issupported adjacent the lower portion of its rear or following edge bythe tracks 26 and guided adjacent the upper portion of its leading edgeby the guide rails 28. Thus as the end is pushed forward it is turned orrotated about an axis transverse relative to its path and through anangle of 90 degrees from its horizontal position into a vertical oredgewise position as shown in the dotted line positions of the can endin Fig. 3, the can end near the end of this turning action droppingnearly vertically on its edge into its vertical position adjacent theouter face of the side wall of the housing 12 at one or the other of thetransfer stations D, E.

A can end A thus fed into a vertical position at its transfer station isimmediately attracted to and held in place by a pair of short horseshoepermanent magnets 41 (Figs. 3 and 4) located at each station. Themagnets preferably are disposed in an end-to-end horizontal positionwith the legs of the magnets extending outwardly, the magnets being heldin place by a bar 42 which extends between the legs of the magnets andis fastened by screws 43 into an elongated L -shaped bracket 44 whichforms a supporting seat for the magnets. The bracket 44 is located in anopening 45 in the side wall of the housing 12 with the ends of the legsof the magnets 41 slightly projecting beyond the outer face of thehousing side wall so as to readily attract and hold the can end inplace. The outer end of the upper leg of each magnet is beveled inwardlytoward the housing side wall to facilitate dropping of the can end intoplace adjacent the magnets. This complete magnet unit comprising themagnets 41, the holding bar 42 and the bracket 44 is held in place byscrews 47 (Fig. 4) which extend through projecting ends of the holdingbar 42 and are threadedly engaged in the side wall of the housing. Thereare two of these magnet units, one at each transfer station D, E anddisposed in each side wall of the housing.

A can end held by a magnet unit, rests on a horizontally projectingshelf or stop plate 49 (Figs. 3 and 4) .which is secured in a horizontalgroove 51 in the magnet brackets 44. This plate 49 stops the can endwhen it falls into its vertical position and thus locates the can endvertically at its transfer station. In this position, a can end oneither side of the housing 12 is in longitudinal alignment with thetester heads B on the tester wheels C and is ready for transfer from themagnet units into the tester heads.

The transfer of a can end A from its magnet unit into a tester head B iseffected by a horizontally disposed pusher bar 55 which operates in aslide or slot 56 formed in each of the side walls of the housing 12.There is one pusher bar 55in each side wall and they are reciprocatedalternately toward and away from the tester heads B by link connectionwith rocker arms or levers 57 in the manner fully disclosed andexplained in the above mentioned Maher patent. As a pusher bar 55 movesforward through a feeding stroke toward an aligned tester head B, itengages behind the magnet held can end A and pushes the can end edgewisetoward the tester head, stripping the can end off the magnets 41 andadvancing it along a horizontal support rail 58 which forms acontinuation of the stop plate 49.

After leaving the magnets 41, the can end is guided by the outer face ofthe side wall or" the housing 12 and the inner face of a verticallydisposed guide post 59 which is disposed in spaced relation to thehousing side wall. The ends of the guide post 59 are secured to thehousing side wall to hold the post in place, sufiicient clearance beingprovided between the side wall and the post to permit the can end toreadily pass between them. The pusher bar 55 advances the can enddirectly into place in the tester head B for testing as disclosed in theMaher patent and then moves back through a return stroke to its originalposition in readiness for a subsequent can end feeding operation. Inorder to facilitate advancement of the can end A past the guide post 59,the post is beveled as at 61 (Fig. 3) and is provided with a clearancenotch 62 for the pusher bar 55.

It is though that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a power operated can end testing machine having a plurality ofvertically disposed tester heads movable in a predetermined path forreceiving can ends to be tested, the combination of a magazine forholding can ends in stacked formation, a substantially horizontal canend support under said magazine, means for separating the lowermost canend from said magazine and laying it on said support, means forpropelling said separated can end along and from said support, a pair ofspaced tracks leading from said support to a transfer station, a pair ofvertically disposed curved guide rails aligned with and in spacedrelation to said tracks for guiding the leading edge of said canend andthus cooperating with said tracks in receiving said separated can end ina substantially horizontal position from said propelling means and forguiding and turning said can end about an axis in transverse relation toits downward path as it drops from said support to a substantiallyvertical position at said transfer station, means disposed at saidtransfer station for locating the can end in alignment with a saidtester head, and means for advancing the can from said station in saidtester head for testing.

2. In a power operated can end testing machine having a plurality ofvertically disposed tester heads movable in a predetermined path forreceiving can ends to be tested, the combination of a magazine forholding can ends in stacked formation, a substantially horizontal canend support under said magazine, means for separating the lowermost canend from said magazine and laying it on said support, means forpropelling said separated can end along and from said support, a pair ofvertically disposed curved guide rails leading downwardly from saidsupport for engaging the leading edge of said separated can end as it isprecipitated from said support by said propelling means and for guidingand turning said can end about an axis in transverse relation to itsdownward path as it drops from said support to a substantially verticalposition, and means disposed adjacent the terminal ends of said guiderails for supporting said can end in alignment with a said tester headfor transfer thereto.

3. In a power operated can end testing machine having a verticallydisposed tester head for receiving can ends to be tested, thecombination of a magazine for holding can ends in substantially verticalstacked formation, a substantially horizontal can end support under saidmagazine, means for separating the lowermost can end from said magazineand laying it on said support, means for propelling said separated canend along and from said support, a pair of vertically disposed curvedguide rails disposed adjacent said magazine and terminating downwardlyin alignment with the path of said tester heads for guiding the leadingedge of said separated can end as it is precipitated from said supportby said propelling means and thereby guiding and turning said can endabout an axis in transverse relation to its downward path as it dropsfrom said support to a substantially vertical position in edgewisealignment with said tester head, a. hinge mounting for said rails tofacilitate swinging of said rails out of operative position forinspection, and means disposed adjacent the terminal ends of said guiderails for supporting said can end in alignment with said tester head fortransfer thereto.

4. In a power operated can end testing machine hav ing verticallydisposed tester heads movable in a predetermined path for receiving canends to be tested, the combination of a magazine for holding can ends insubstantially vertical stacked formation, horizontally disposed supportplates under said magazine, means for separating the lowermost can endfrom said magazine and laying it on said support plates, means forpropelling said separated can end along and from said support plates, apair of tracks adjacent to and leading downwardly from said supportplates, 21 pair of vertically disposed curved guide rails aligned withand in spaced relation to said tracks for guiding the upper portion ofthe leading edge of said can end and thus cooperating with said tracksin receiving said separated can end from said propelling means and toguide said can end so that it is turned about an axis in transverserelation to its downward path as it drops from a horizontal position onsaid support plates into a vertical position in edgewise alignment witha said tester head, a stop plate disposed at the lower end of saidtracks and rails for terminating the vertical fall of said can end, anda magnet disposed adjacent said stop plate for attracting and holdingsaid can end in edgewise alignment with a said tester head for transferthereto.

5. In a power operated can end testing machine having a plurality ofstaggered and confronting tester heads for receiving can ends to betested, the combination of a housing having opposing side walls insubstantial alignment with said tester heads, said side walls havingopenings therein for the passage of can ends therethrough, a magazinemounted on said housing intermediate said confronting tester heads forholding can ends in substantially vertical stacked formation, asubstantially horizontal can end support under said magazine, means forseparating the lowermost can end from the stack of ends in said magazineand laying it on said support, feeding devices disposed within saidhousing for feeding the separated can ends alternately in oppositedirections from said support and precipitating them through saidopenings in said housing, a plurality of verticallydisposed curved guiderails disposed outside of said housing in spaced relation to said sidewalls for guiding the leading edges of can ends passed through andprecipitated from said openings to turn each fall can end about an axisin transverse relation to its downward path and from a horizontal into avertical position adjacent a said side wall, magnets in said side wallsadjacent the lower ends of said guide rails for holding said can ends inedgewise alignment with said tester heads, means for advancing said canends alternately from said magnets into the tester heads, and verticallydisposed guide means disposed adjacent and in spaced relation to saidhousing side walls for guiding said can ends as they are thus advancedto the tester heads.

6. A device for feeding can ends into a machine for treatment, thecombination of a magazine disposed ad'- jacent said machine for holdingcan ends in stacked formation, means for separating the lowermost canend from the stack of ends in said magazine, a stationary magnetdisposed adjacent the bottom of said magazine for attracting and holdingthe separated can end in position adjacent the bottom of said magazine,means for propelling said can end along and from said magnet, tracksleading downwardly from said magnet to a transfer station, said tracksbeing adapted to receive said separated can end from said propellingmeans and to guide said end so that it is turned about an axis intransverse relation to its downward path as it falls from said magnetinto said station, and means for advancing said can end from saidstation into said machine for treatment.

7. A device for feeding can ends into a machine for treatment, thecombination of a magazine for holding can ends in stacked formation, astationary can end support under said magazine, means for separating thelowermost can end from said magazine and laying it on said support, astationary magnet adjacent said support for attracting and holding saidseparated can end, means for propelling said separated can end along andfrom said support and magnet, tracks leading downwardly from saidsupport to a transfer station, said tracks being adapted to receive saidseparated can end from said propelling means and to guide said end sothat it is turned about an axis in transverse relation to its downwardpath as it falls from said support to said transfer station, a lowermagnet disposed at said transfer station for attracting and holding thecan end, and means for stripping and advancing the can end from saidlower magnet and station into said machine for treatment.

8. A device for feeding can ends into a machine for treatment comprisingin combination, means for supporting a can end in a substantiallyhorizontal plane, a substantially vertical transfer station disposedbelow said horizontal plane, a curved guide member extending from saidhorizontal plane downwardly along and in outwardly spaced relationshipto said transfer station, the upper portion of said guide memberextending downwardly and outwardly away from said supporting means andthe lower portion of said guide member extending downwardly and inwardlytoward and terminating adjacent the bottom of said transfer station,means for propelling said can end laterally of said supporting meansinto contact with and downwardly along said guide member, means in saidtransfer station for stopping the downward movement of said end alongsaid guide member, said guide member deflecting the leading edge of saidcan end downwardly to turn said end about an axis in transverse relationto the downward path of said end and to direct the leading edge of saidcan end against said stop means in said transfer station, holding meansdisposed at said transfer station for maintaining said turned can end insubstantially vertical position in said transfer station in inwardlyspaced relationship to said guide member, and means for advancing saidcan end from said station into said machine for treatment.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein said propelling means comprises ahorizontally reciprocating pusher member which is provided with anoverhanging ledge which contacts the upper surface of the rear edge ofsaid can end to prevent upward movement of said rear edge as the leadingedge of said can end is deflected downwardly by said guide member.

10. The device of claim 8 wherein said transfer station includes asubstantially vertical wall against which said can end is held by saidholding means, said vertical wall being disposed in a vertical planewhich extends in substantially chordal relationship to said curved guidetrack.

11. The device of claim 8 wherein said holding means comprises a magnetdisposed in said transfer station adjacent said stop means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,330,229 Mabel Sept. 28, 1943 2,453,545 Simpson Nov. 9, 1948 2,539,467Pechy Jan. 30, 1951 2,542,053 Pechy Feb. 20, 1951

